The Voice, in a terse announcement from its publisher, says the paper will now be "an edition of Times-Shamrock Newspapers." What does this mean? Will the CV no longer be listed as a newspaper by the ABC? Did the TL just -- at least on paper -- win the newspaper war?
Friday, April 13, 2007
The CV to disappear as its own newspaper?
The Voice, in a terse announcement from its publisher, says the paper will now be "an edition of Times-Shamrock Newspapers." What does this mean? Will the CV no longer be listed as a newspaper by the ABC? Did the TL just -- at least on paper -- win the newspaper war?
Boy Mr. Northeast Media, you really don't have a clue do you? By combining both papers the circulation soars as does ad revenues. Basically, it means they will be paid much more $$$ for advertising than the Times Leader, ensuring they do indeed win the newspaper war. DUH!
ReplyDelete"Basically, it means they will be paid much more $$$ for advertising than the Times Leader"
ReplyDeleteWell, you CAN charge more...but that doesn't mean every local advertiser will pay more.
You've still got two parallel market without that much travel back and forth.
You've got Scranton businesses who don't care to pay more to get into Wilkes Barre homes and W-B businesses who don't care to pay more to get their ads into Scranton homes.
For many of those WB advertisers, the Times Leader just became a more attractive option...if Times Shamrock really intends to charge more.
My guess is that they'll offer advertisers a Scranton-only or Wilkes-Barre only option that won't reflect much of a price hike.
And it means the larger paper will swallow the smaller paper, lay off redundant workers and laugh happily to the bank. It doesn't matter, those Paddys will own everything here eventually anyway. Yee Haw!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen does Connor get fired for that terrible website he created?
ReplyDeletecould mean the CV was not profitable enough, and indeed 3:07 and 1:49 are right.
ReplyDeleteIt's the EXACT same thing the TL has been doing on Sunday for years.
ReplyDeleteIt is one more step closer to putting a nail in the Times Leader coffin.
ReplyDeleteHow? Explain?
ReplyDeleteI see it as the CV couldn't compete against the mightier TL, and need help from up north across the mason-dixon line.
ReplyDeleteAnd, you know what you get when those up north report down south: I point you too this week's (April 12-18) Diamond City, as everyone knows, contains 95 percent of Lackawanna County bar advertisements.
Barbed Wire, page 9: "That's what Pittston Twp. Police Chief James O'Malley suggested..."
At least the name is correct, but not the town.
Love reading those Lackawanna County stories in the CV. Keep em' comin'
Since the TL circulation numbers are inflated because they like to add their precious Sunday Dispatch in there than maybe they should call the TL's newspapers The Texas Conner Group.
ReplyDeleteBig deal. The Pittston edition can't add that much. ANd it's not the same. They are still in Luzerne County. Adding Scranton and Wilkes-Barre numbers is misleading.
ReplyDeleteSo it's OK for the TL to do it because it doesn't inflate the numbers as much as it does when the CV does it?
ReplyDeleteWorst argument ever.
It is not right when either does it but it is also not right when a paper gives copies to hospitals, schools and McDonalds to hand out for free and then count that as a sold paper.
ReplyDeleteFree copies don't count as sold copies.
ReplyDeleteBut heavily discounted papers do -- I think you can sell a paper as much as 75 percent off and still count it toward circulation.
Playing games with circulation numbers is as old as the first ciculation numbers. Certain auditing firms have different criteria for counting and you can pick and choose whichever suits you.
ReplyDeleteThe last numbers I've seen cited by the Voice were by something called FAS/FAX (Or something like that) and they differed from the ABC numbers. (FAS/FAX were higher)
The TL used ABC numbers which were lower and the Times-Tribune have used both at times.
Is there a difference? It depends on who you are trying to impress.
The circulation tactic by the Times/Voice is done for one reason: Now they can say "We have 90,000 Sunday and 70,000 daily circulation. Worship us!"
It helps the Times out more because now they can claim to be in a higher circulation category. Chances are the ad rates in Scranton will hike up. They have to keep it relatively low in W-B because if they raise it, the Mom and Pops that have kept the Voice in business for years will bolt.
Still, what it likely does is kill any chance of future awards for either staff. Godd luck competing against actual professional newspapers like those in Philly, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.
Who cares about the awards? Those things are garbage anyway.....see the Filler thread below.
ReplyDeleteSomebody's missing the point again.
ReplyDeleteIt's one thing to include Pittston where the people get both papers regardless.
The CV numbers are for Luzerne County. The TT numbers for Lackawanna.
Combine the CV with TT and you are telling W-B advertisers that circ is around 80,000 or so when it's not.
That's the difference.
It doesn't matter the CV has been lying to it's readers for as long as the paper has existed.
ReplyDeleteThey used to call that the "shell game."
ReplyDelete12:21, the Harrisburg paper is a joke.
ReplyDeleteThis is to woo national advertisters only.
ReplyDeletePeople around here will know the ciruclation.
But corporate execs in NY and LA will now see a paper with 85,000 daily in the Scr./W-B Market and pick it over the TL's 40,000. And the ad will run in both the Voice and Times, so there isn't anything disingeneous.
If Macy's, Chevy, Cingular etc.. wants an ad in 85,000 papers, they will get it in 85,000 papers.
You know 2:06 A.M....
ReplyDeleteThe Scranton Times is a joke.
The Lynett's are the fucking joke...They killed the CV not saved it...The TL is the only local paper left in WB...
ReplyDeleteI agree. The Lynetts are fuckers. They don't give a fuck for their employees, just the bottom line. But face it, they're worried. The TT numbers are declining. The Lackawanna Valley is a smaller market than Luzerne County. Their future profits are in the W-B area. That must be a bitter pill for the Irish Tenors to swallow with their martinis.
ReplyDelete